The Taste of Ink
by PRETTYPRINCESSchan
Summary: [Beast Boy x Original Character] Upon waking up in a foreign hospital, there was one thing Georgiana Darling was sure of: that she despised the taste of ink.
1. Prologue

Everything burned. Your eyes seemed to water at the intensity of the sting, even behind closed lids and a set of black-rimmed glasses, and your throat itched terribly, yearning desperately for cool water to assuage the empty, arid feeling within. Your right arm twitched slightly, reacting to your brain's urgent desire to have whatever was hindering the well-being of your viridian orbs removed with the swipe of a small hand, but like every other part of your body, it felt almost too heavy to move.

_Where exactly am I_? You pondered; intellectual gears grinding at a sluggish pace. _Why does everything hurt? Why can't I move? Why isn't anyone helping me?_ The unspoken questions seemed to increase at an alarming rate, and along with it, your fear. You considering screaming, howling out for someone's assistance, but thought better of it due to the assumption that your weak vocal chords might not be up to it. You knew resolutely that you were helpless when you couldn't even cry for someone – anyone at all. This would probably be the end of you and you had already begun to accept that fact.

_Mom, dad…_Your mind began to reel, granting you with the clichéd life-flashback, a well-known symptom of approaching death, but your thoughts tended to focus on the mother and father you would now never be able to fully satisfy. They had given you one task, and one task only, and you had failed.

"_We're much too busy chasing the big league babes to focus solely on a bunch of adolescent superheroes, Geo, so I'll need you to get the Japan scoop in our stead. Make us proud, baby~"_

Your mind was consumed by the hauntingly sweet image of a bleach-blonde woman with crystal blue eyes, smiling down at you from the pedestal that her shiny black stilletos created. This image was then swiftly followed by that of the judgmental, pursed lips and scrutinizing glance of a dazzling brunette man with dark chocolate eyeballs.

"_You can accomplish this, can't you, Georgiana?"_

You couldn't…

At least not now when you were on the verge of eternal sleep. Your brow furrowed painfully as an epiphany ensued; the _verge_ – just the verge. You weren't dead yet.

But youwill.

An overwhelming rush of determination flowed through your veins, coupled with something that seemed to serve as a would-be anesthesia: sweet, sweet adrenaline. Although it appeared to smolder sorely, you forced the aching muscles of your right hand to cooperate. You clenched it, and at the forced movement you immediately felt the odd sensation of something liquid and rather sticky being callously caressed in the battered palm of your hand. The smell of it then made full contact with your poor nostrils and you nearly vomited from its severity. It was a familiar, bitter stench that you were quite familiar with. It had been the thing to bring you back to consciousness, an undesired smelling-salt of sorts, but you had been too distracted by a mingled sense of loss and aching to detect it sooner.

Whatever it was – it was everywhere, and you seemed to be submerged in it. This was made quite apparent upon trying to move your hand further, resulting in it touching something sticky at every pitiful go. You knew now that you had to get out of here – out of _it._

"_Mmn_…" You groaned, swallowing what you perceived to be the metaphorical lump in your throat that had been brought on by distressing survival-mode emotions. Once the action had been completed, however, you soon realized that lump to be real. Coughing loudly, you attempted to project the searing black liquid out of your precious inner organs. It had not been so obvious to you before, but you now understood your lungs to be drowning in it. It was the source of the burn. It had invaded your lungs as well as both your esophagus and your wind-pipe; this certainly explained the new-found, relentlessly nauseous lurching in your stomach. Utilizing what little energy you had left; you obliged the utilization of a feral lament.

"HELP ME!" gurgled out your lungs in a faded entreaty as you began to lose all will and self-awareness; surely things would have faded to black if they had not already been to begin with.

The last remaining actions you were capable of perceiving before you conked out were simply sounds, although blessed in their significance.

Against all odds, a faint acknowledgement of your existence reached your coveting ears, followed promptly by both a forceful tug on your throbbing shoulders and a pitter-patter of rain that you could actually _feel_.

"HEY, DUDES! I found something over here, and it's still breathing…"

Had you been capable of opening your eyes, you might have been startled by the decisive flash of green fur.


	2. Chapter 1: Hospital

"I don't understand why we can't just send her to jail already…" The utterance of this boisterous, seemingly exasperated statement is what brought on the return of your consciousness. It was just one of many disconcerting sounds that your ears were immediately capable of picking up. Among them existed the incessant beeps of a heart monitor, the irrelevant chitter-chatter of some obnoxious television show, the crinkling of what you presumed to be some sort of wrapper, and, of course, the anguished whine of the male that had just spoken.

"Robin told you that we need to watch her, or did you forget how dangerous she was when she whooped _your _ass in combat?" A second male voice replied, obviously irritated at the other, currently unidentified, person within the room. You noticed right away that this voice was distinctly deeper than the first, and that, at the very least, it seemed to hold a substantially smaller amount of hostility towards the person that they had to watch – presumably _you_.

Now this conversation was considerably more interesting to you than it had been when it merely consisted of the unhappy prattle of the first speaker. You were curious about whether or not they were talking about you, but at the reveal of the girl they were talking about supposedly beating up the primary speaker, you were inclined to believe that, perhaps, they weren't referring to you at all. And why would they be? You were just a scrawny, four-eyed blonde reporter who had failed brutally at her first real job. Withholding the sudden urge to sigh melodramatically in favor of continuing to feign sleep, you turned your attention back to the fairly informative exchange.

"Dude, I didn't forget! That's why I think we should put her on lock-down – _ASAP!_" The first speaker retorted finally, his voice raising both in volume and in pitch; it was strange to you that he now sounded much more urgent than upset.

"Man," The second speaker paused in order to release a cavernous chortle. "She sure owned you, didn't she, BB?" He managed to string together his question amidst the lengthy bout of diaphragm-shaking laughter. You couldn't exactly decipher why he was so amused at this, but you were quite content to simply have something to identify the first speaker by – BB.

"S-Shut up!" You couldn't see it, but you imagined that BB's cheeks tinted in obvious embarrassment at the tormenting of his conversation companion. "She's really tough, okay? And she's _evil_, so she doesn't deserve the hospital treatment!" BB finished indignantly, his declaration sounding suspiciously animalistic and not unlike a roar.

"Nobody deserves to die like she would have, Beast Boy," The second speaker began, all joking cast aside from his tone. The corners of your lips upturned in the faintest of smirks. It seemed that the longer you eavesdropped, the more information you learned about the two of them. "Anyway, come on, now! You were infatuated with the lady almost a week ago! You can't tell me that you aren't being hard on her now just because it hurt your manly pride when Starfire told you that otaku meant _comic book_ _nerd_, rather than_cute_." Now this was _certainly _interesting; Beast Boy had some sort of crush on the girl who had bested him in combat. You stifled an adoring giggle at the fact, but you were not capable of quieting the surprised gasp that escaped your lips at the new realization. Beast Boy, as in the verdant member of the Teen freakin' Titans? _SCORE!_ You mentally cheered as your eyes snapped open and your left fist, despite all of the tubes and such painfully stuck within them, punched the air in victory.

"Titans, go!" Beast Boy called suddenly as, before your very eyes, he morphed into a green wolf. A ferocious growl rippled forth from his open mouth and his barred fangs glistened in the fluorescent light. Before you really had the time to concentrate on the situation or realize your apparent error, you found that the other male within the room, Cyborg, had a sonic cannon pointed at your head.

"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa!" You squeaked, arms thrown out in front of you defensively. "I didn't steal anything; please don't hurt me!" You pleaded with them as your entire body began to shake with unbridled fright. It was not the statement you were accustomed to making upon first meeting people, especially not objects of your strongest admirations, but under the circumstances you supposed it would have to do.

Cyborg immediately powered down his technological weapon of choice whilst all the animosity melted away from the green wolf's expression. "_What_?" Cyborg blinked his lone, human eye; mouth completely agape. "Did she just speak _English?_"

Now it was your turn to regain composure as you presented the both of them with an incredulous glance. "Well, of course I did! Or is blonde hair and green eyes not _American_ enough for you?" You scoffed. Your voice sounded gravely due to a distinct lack of use, but you were relieved to see that it was getting better and starting to regain its cutesy, upbeat tone.

Beast Boy allowed himself to shift back into his original form as he quirked a hunter green brow at you in perplexity. "That definitely sounds American, but, dude, your hair is totally _pink._" Now you were not so sure of the sanity level of the green teenager, because there was no way in Hell that you would ever dye your beautiful blonde locks pink. You had always been quite the tomboy, and as such, you didn't do pink. Not now; not EVER.

"I don't know what you're talking about, man," You began with a roll of your eyes. "My hair is naturally blonde, and that's never going to change." You assured him, although despite your fervent belief in your words, you gingerly reached a pale pink paw up to pluck a strand of hair. Your eyes became the size of dinner plates at a new, terrifying discovery. "Forget the hair; why are my hands pink? Why do I have fur? Why can I see without my glasses? WHAT IS GOING ON?!" Your garbled list of queries slowly developed into a full on scream of panic. It seems that all you were good for lately: screaming your heart out.

"Oh, crap! Screaming girl!" Cyborg noticed, oddly panicked as if he had, in all his days of hero work, never encountered one of _those_ before. "I'm calling in the team!" He announced, leaping up and heading out the door before he ever had time to explain to the startled Beast Boy why it was necessary to leave the room to make a call utilizing a communicator that was built into his arm.

Meanwhile, the animalistic youth could only clutch at his ears in pain. "My ears are too sensitive for this!" He blubbered, smothering the aforementioned, pointy attachments with a well-placed pillow.

* * *

Robin, Raven, and Starfire had arrived at the scene before you had even begun to calm down from your teenage tantrum, and it was only the smart thinking of Raven, who through the use of a handy "Azarath Metrian Zynthos!" covered your mouth with a magical black strip, that managed to silence your ear-splitting screeches.

"Thank you so much, Raven~!" Beast Boy cooed, transforming into a small puppy just to orchestrate a gratified tail-wag. His eyes welled up with happy tears as he jumped into the levitating lap of the Goth girl that had been previously sitting criss-cross applesauce.

"Get off of me," Raven said simply whilst her right eye noticeably twitched.

To say that it was fascinating for the gagged girl to witness the everyday antics of the most popular people in all of Jump City would probably be an understatement, but it wasn't like it mattered. Georgiana Darling was completely without her notepad – and that was fact alone was much too disquieting for you to find joy in anything else. _Damn it; where's my stuff?_ You inwardly queried since, as it were, you were currently inept at forming articulate speech.

"Awh! Come on, Rae; you saved me!" Beast Boy reminded as he smiled charmingly at the pale super heroine. His tail wagged twice its normal speed as his eyes enlarged, creating a nearly irresistible chibi effect.

Fortunately, Raven was well-practiced in resistance of such a thing. "I saved myself; idiot." She huffed pointedly before, like the rest of the Titans, turning her gaze upon you. "If I allow you to speak, are you capable of utilizing an inside voice?" She questioned you dully. To her inquiry you only nodded dumbly. "Very well then…" She sighed and with the wave of her hand, the black strip vanished into thin air.

"What did you guys do to me?" You questioned quickly and to the point; sometimes it came in handy, being an investigative journalist and all. What you had asked caused all of the Titans to fumble and falter in some way.

"What did _we _do to you? _You_ tried to kill me!" Beast Boy howled, returning to normal within the blink of an eye.

"Not to mention rejected you…" Cyborg mumbled, but when the green-skinned lad with good hearing shot him a furious glance, he whistled in an attempt at feigning innocence. "Doo Doo Doo ~ _What_?"

"Tell me, pink skinned cat villainess, do you wish to be friends?" Despite the commotion that Cyborg and Beast Boy were making, the room quieted at the utterance of Starfire's invitation. At the moment, the adjectives implemented to describe you were much more important to you than making an alien friend.

"I've noticed the pink skin, but did you say I was a cat _and _that I was a villain?" You replied, a hasty attempt at paraphrasing. Without further ado, you brought shaking hands up to the place where your human ears would be…and you found only hair. You went slack-jawed; another scream beginning to effervesce within your throat.

Recognizing the impending doom, Raven outstretched a threatening hand. "Scream again and I'll ensure that you never talk again." She hissed, obviously irked yet devoid of all audible emotion.

Needless to say, you gulped. "S-Sorry, Raven."

"You know our names," This quiet, calculating remark was the first thing the Boy Wonder had bothered to say. His eyes narrowed at you behind the trademark domino mask as his grip tightened around the foreign hand that he had been awkwardly holding. As a nosy member of the paparazzi, your eyes immediately zoned in on this.

"Robin and Starfire together? Haha! What a scoop~" You trilled with the grin of a Cheshire cat. Almost immediately at your remark, Robin's pale cheeks tinted pink.

"T-That's none of your business!" He affirmed, blushing still. His relationship partner seemed to be the total opposite of her normal, hyperactive self, as she simply smiled in admiration at her newfound lover.

"I have every right to know, and so do my adoring public!" You insisted, beaming at the lot of them. This statement, of course, caused quite the confusion within the minds of your audience.

"Adoring public? What are you, a meddlesome reporter?" Raven gave you a chilling, accusatory glare. Although it was clear that her query was more impertinent than inquiring – especially since you were a freakin' pink cat now – you felt the need to answer her anyway.

"Uhm, yeah, that's exactly what I am." You explained. Your tail flicked in annoyance at their dubious expressions. You didn't show it, but it was rather odd to you; having a tail and "flicking it " in annoyance.

"This doesn't make any sense!" Beast Boy exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air for added emphasis. Apparently he was about as informed on your appearance change as you were.

Presenting the room full of them with your most stunning of smiles, you sat up straight in your plain little hospital bed. "I apologize for how rude I've been. My name's Georgiana Darling—" You began formally, only to be quite interrupted by a loudmouth greenette.

"DUDE! Are you related to Donavon and Della Darling? From the news and stuff?" He blinked.

You only nodded at him in confirmation before pressing onwards. "And I'm a Junior Journalist for the _Jump City Journal_; it's a pleasure to meet you all, and once I find my notepad, I'd love to ask you some questions about your latest oriental adventure~"

". . ." Silence was the general consensus of speech amongst the Teen Titans.

"…Is that okay? I just have a few!" You guaranteed them after a long absence of sound.

"WHAT? I don't even – Look, if you really are the Darlings' daughter, I don't know why you'd be here of all places – " Robin began, slapping a gloved hand to his face in annoyance. Raven interrupted him without warning.

"To spy on us and _get the scoop_, no doubt." She pointed out, mocking your earlier statement.

You growled wildly at her for this.

"Yeah, well, that doesn't explain why you look like one of Brushogun's evil ink creations!" Robin finished, pointing a harsh little index finger at you. You blanched accordingly.

"I don't know what the heck you're talking about, Birdbrain! Last I checked, I was just creeping on you guys as you were talking to some shady man in a beige trenchcoat…and then nothing." You explained, utterly incensed at the lack of information everyone had. It came as a surprise to you just what you remembered, though. As it turned out, you did, in fact, remember them talking to somebody sketchy, but that was the last thing you could properly recall. Well, other than you nearly drowning in some black shit, anyway.

"We did find her in a pool of ink, Robin," Cyborg added. Thinking back to when they had found your unconscious, disheveled form, lying limp within a pool of ink.

"You mean _I_ found her!" Beast Boy interjected, somewhat proudly. His arms were crossed over his chest in a standoff-ish manner as his head lulled back lazily against the wall of your recovery room. "Man, why couldn't I have found some pizza instead?" He added lowly as an afterthought. Your enhanced hearing immediately picked up the unruly rumble of his empty stomach.

"BEAST BOY!" Starfire exclaimed, seeking to chide her dear friend. It was the first she had spoken since she had made the, currently unanswered, request to be your friend, and you immediately found it endearing how she reprimanded the insensitive guy for preferring pizza to your existence.

"It's cool, Starfire," You initiated as your eyes roamed the room before landing on the tray of unidentified hospital food. You were in Japan, after all, so the only thing you really noticed was the remnants of a banana, what you presumed to be a carton of juice, tea, or milk, chopsticks, and some weird chunky stuff in a bowl. "You can have my lunch, Beast Boy." You offered. It was your best attempt at being acquiescent with his attitude problem.

The adorable chap managed to flash you a half-hearted grin of gratitude before declining. "No thanks, dude, I already ate your banana, and I don't do meat…assuming that's what that chunky stuff is…" He elaborated, grimacing at the mystery substance.

Your eyes sparkled enchantingly at this reveal. "NO WAY! Neither do I. I'm a Vegan; how about you?"

Although you chose not to acknowledge it, you distinctly noticed a groan of displeasure escape from Cyborg's oversized mouth. "Awh, man! Crazy tofu freaks…" He sighed despairingly.

Meanwhile, Beast Boy immediately lost all feelings of distaste of distrust he had ever held in his heart for you. "SWEET! You're awesome, Georgiana! Now I don't feel so alone~" He praised boisterously.

You smiled; immediately thankful that your cheeks were now naturally pink. "Thanks, Beast Boy, but you can call me Georgie." You suggested with an adorable wink. You hadn't intended for it to happen, but your statement was immediately followed by a delightful "Nya !"

Starfire's eyes swelled into enthusiastic hearts as she hovered closer to you. "That is, how you say, the _freakin'_ adorable! Yes?" She squeaked, tilting her head in confirmation. By this gesture, you were able to decipher that she was not at all accustomed to Earthling lingo, and thus had issues with using it effectively.

You smiled reassuringly at her, already taking a liking to her extraterrestrial charm. "Yes, _friend _Starfire, I suppose that is how you would say that." You agreed pleasantly, all former worries about your newborn need to meow – Japanese Style – drifting to the very back of your mind.


End file.
